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Greetings MMC readers!  Today marks the theatrical release of Avengers: Infinity War and the culmination of 10 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  The MCU has become a sizable sub-set of the main Marvel Minimates line.   So, in honor of this special occasion, the MMC staff has put together a list of their favorite MCU-styled Minimates. Do you agree with their picks? Let us know in the comments!

Glantern’s Picks

Top 10

• Stealth Captain America (Winter Soldier – Wave 55): There are a lot of MCU Captain Americas out there to choose from, but this one combines one of the characters best looks from the movies with a fantastic assortment of sculpted parts and some of the best detail work I’ve seen on a Minimate.  Plus, he’s got the best likeness of Chris Evans so far.
• Iron Monger (Iron Man – Wave 21): An early one, but one’s that’s hard to beat.  Iron Monger was one of the earliest examples of extensive sculpted pieces on a Minimate, as well as a Minimate perfectly pulling off two completely separate looks.
• Nebula (Guardians Vol. 1 – Wave 57):  A totally vanilla ‘mate, but easily the strongest in Wave 57.  Once again, it’s the paint work that really sells her.  It’s so clean and crisp.
• Gamora (Guardians Vol. 2 – Wave 71):  Gamora was already off to a good start with her Vol. 1 figure, but this one came in and blew that one away.  Her Vol. 2 design makes for a better costume choice, and that slight grin on her facial expression adds so much character.
• Tactical Killmonger (Black Panther – Walgreens): One of the few versions of this costume in toy form.  It’s just so well detailed, and with both the mask and the hair piece included, you can get two rather diverse looks out of the same figure.
• Vision (Civil War – TRU): Vision’s first MCU ‘mate was pretty strong.  Strong enough that most found this particular figure to be somewhat redundant.  However, the improved detailing on the head really adds a lot to this particular figure.
• Jasper Sitwell (Winter Soldier – Wave 55): Sort of an out of left field choice, I’ll admit.  Sitwell’s a pretty minor character, and he’s really just a guy in a suit, when you get right down to it.  But, there was so much care put into this figure’s likeness, that he just really stands out, especially when a certain other Agent of SHIELD from the movies has still yet to get a Minimate of equivalent quality.
• Mark I Iron Man (Iron Man – Wave 21):  This armor remains one of my favorite designs from all of the MCU, and Minimates got it right the first time.  I almost went with the Iron Man 2 release, because the darker colors really do look nice, but this one gets the upper hand thanks to the awesome workshop Tony Stark that’s below the armor.
• Spider-Man (Homecoming – Wave 73):  It’s hard to top the classic Spider-Man look.  The MCU had the good judgement to only make minor tweaks to the design, and it’s translated quite nicely here.  The web shooters on the wrists change-up the silhouette a bit, but he’s otherwise just a basic ‘mate, with some really bright colors to help him pop off the shelf.
• Black Widow (Winter Soldier – Wave 55):  Wave 55 shows up a lot on my list.  It’s kind of a favorite.  Widow’s had a handful of rather similar MCU Minimates.  This one just stands apart from the rest, due to very sharp paintwork and some awesome sculpted parts.

Honorable Mention: Ultron Mk 1 (Age of Ultron – Singles):  One of the most eerie and chilling moments from the AoU film is Ultron’s first appearance in this patchwork drone body.  The Minimate version was the best version of the character to come out of the movie, and maintains all the same eeriness.

Most Wanted:  THE. WARRIORS. THREE.  We keep being so close on this one.

Nessex’s Picks

Top 10 (in no particular order)

• Stealth Iron Man (Iron Man – TRU 1): So, this figure never *actually* appeared in the movie. It was kind of like those Kenner Aliens with animal features: something fun with the films branding on it, but no actual connection to the film. But damn, it looked cool. The same sculpt as the official figure, but with a deep, metallic blue finish and offset with red eyes and a red arc reactor. Very striking.
• Iron Monger (Iron Man – Wave 21): I can’t say it much better than Glantern did. Great villain to have in your MCU display.
• Nebula (Guardians Vol. 1 – Wave 57):  Possibly my favourite MCU figure of all time. Goes to show what a crisp, vibrant paint job is worth. If only she had come with her batons.
• Tactical Killmonger (Black Panther – Walgreens): The mask on this figure is amazing, and speaks very clearly to the comic book origins.
• Vision (Civil War – TRU): Again, I can’t top what Glantern said.
• Ulysses Klaue (Avengrs: Age of Ultron – Wave 63): Great likeness of Andy Serkis, the detail work on the scorpion tattoo was beautiful. A+.  He was almost edged out by the arm cannon version from Black Panther…. almost.
• Black Widow (Winter Soldier – Wave 55):  Bee Dubs gets angry. Finally! Crisp paintwork, and a ‘take no prisoners’ look on her face. Love this figure. We need more angry women.
• Falcon (Captain America: Civil War – TRU CA:CW 2): The red, grey and black on this figure make Falcon look more dynamic and more ‘super-heroic’ than his army camos in Winter Soldier. Don’t get me wrong – that was a good figure, but I think this is where Falcon has found his place as a super hero.
• Gladiator Hulk (Thor: Ragnarok – TRU T:R) He’s huge. He’s bright. He captures everything that was fun and comic-booky about what is now my favourite of the three Thor films.
• Hela (Thor: Ragnorok – Box Set) The green and black of her costume was crisply and brightly captured in this figure. She has alternate looks. The designer did a great job of capturing Cate’s eyes on the alternate head. It’s a flawed figure, but I’m willing to look past the flaws and enjoy her.

Honorable Mention: Loki (Thor: Ragnarok  – Box Set): Finally – a Loki with a mischievous smile! The gold on his headpiece really pops, too. A very nice figure.

Most Wanted:  Frigga. She was the heart and light of what was, in my humble opinion, a dark and depressing film. I really wish we’d gotten a figure of her.

Smashmaster12’s Picks

Top 10 (in no particular order)

• Mark VI Iron Man (Iron Man 2 – TRU): Probably the definition of a “standard” Iron Man, the Mark VI is a great upgrade compared to its sister, the Mark IV. The flip-open visor piece on this guy is one of the coolest features I’ve seen on an Iron Man, and the sculpting work is awesome
• Shrinking Ant-Man (Ant-Man – SDCC): A variant of the standard release but with less paint, Ant-Man brings to the table a chest piece that mimics his ability to shrink down to a smaller size. I love how on the arms the paint fades into clear plastic, and the fact that his display stand is a penny makes him stand out
• Winter Soldier (WS – Wave 55):  With the release of Winter Soldier, DST really went above and beyong with making sure this guy was a force to be reckoned with. Two looks and an entire arsenal that the can easily holster makes this guy possibly better than all of his releases after.
• Classic Captain America (WS – Wave 55): Donning his WWII armor for the climax of the film, Steve definitely stands alongside his pack-in mate. The bright red, white, and blue, alongside the redesigned version of his helmet are a vast improvement on the original. While he lacks the sculpted detailing of the original, the seamless paintwork on this guy helps seal together a perfect 2-pack
• Sub-Ultron (Red) (AoU – Blind Bags): Alright, here me out on this one. While the Minimate for the actual Ultron is quite accurate to the screen (Albiet a bit shorter), I always saw the sub-Ultron as something that looked much more akin to Ultron’s comic design, but in the movie styling. Too bad he came with a huge pile of the Iron Legion, though
• Vulture (Homecoming – Wave 72) The fact that DST was able to put out a figure that perfectly encapsulated the wingspan of Vulture blows me away. I was honestly expecting just him in a flight suit, but they went the extra mile to give us the full experience.
• Powered-Up Black Panther (BP – Walgreens): A simple-but-effective Minimate, this version of T’Challa combines the dark and subtle tones of the movie design, but then coats itself in bright metallic blues. Definitely my favorite Minimate out of the entire Black Panther movie range.
• Tony Stark (IM3 – TRU): The coolest look for a casual Tony Stark Minimate, this figure emulates him experimenting with the Mark 42’s remote armor-up ability, and is great for posing. But, for me, the big draw is that eyepiece, it’s such a cool touch!
• Agent 13 (Civil War – Wave 67): A comic version of Sharon Carter was one of my most-wanted Minimates for years now, so when I heard we were getting a movie version, I said “Sure, close enough.” I think her outfit is really cool, and helps fill out both comic and movie SHIELD ranks. She’s simply accessorized with two guns and a standard knife, but the fact that she had nothing to do in the movie was severely disappointing.
• Gladiator Hulk (Ragnarok – TRU/Walgreens): What can I say? This guy is an absolute monster. Towering over the rest of the figures from Ragnarok, Hulk is expertly painted and accessorized with a hammer and axe right out of the movie. I gotta say, Hulk’s quite smashing.

Honorable mention: Tony Stark (IM1 – Wave 21): You may be asking, what’s so special about this guy? It’s simple, he was my first Minimate. For some reason I always gravitated towards civilian versions of heroes, and seeing this mystery block toy of Tony Stark ignited a passion that has been going on for a decade strong now.

Most Wanted: Stan Lee! He’s arguably almost as recognizable as the Avengers themselves and has been in every MCU movie to date. He definitely needs a commemorative Minimate of some sort.